Volume 1. Chapter 15: After Dinner, Part 3

In the warm, cozy glow of the lamp that barely lit the small room, Lily continued to eye Ken with a slight squint. Her cheeks were flushed, and she seemed to be fighting with herself to maintain at least some visible control over her emotions.“You… you showed me all that on purpose, didn’t you?” Lily asked, narrowing her eyes. Her expression was a mix of jealousy and embarrassment.Ken, of course, wasn’t about to back down that easily. “Well, of course - I wanted you to learn more about my world,” he replied, barely holding back a laugh. “Don’t you want to know everything? Even about my classmates?”Lily sighed and looked away, her lips pressed into a thin line, though her face betrayed her - her embarrassment was obvious.“You… You’re just… I can’t believe this!” she exclaimed, shaking her head. “Why… why did you have to show me those girls?”Ken, still clearly amused, leaned in a little closer. “Lily, is jealousy really something to worry about? I was just showing my friends so you could understand my world better,” he said with mock seriousness. “Besides, can anyone really compare to a girl as amazing as you?”Lily blushed even deeper, her flustered frustration turning into a kind of adorable anger. “Oh, you… you’re awful, Ken! Idiot!” she snapped, pretending she was about to get up and storm off.Ken decided to ease up a little and chuckled softly. “Alright, alright, don’t be mad. I was just teasing,” he said with a smile, his tone gentler now. “But you’re really cute when you get mad.”Lily shot him a mildly annoyed look, but realizing her attempt at being stern wasn’t having much effect, she sighed. “You know, we have a long day ahead of us,” she said, changing the subject. “We should start thinking about what we’re going to do.”Ken understood her shift and nodded respectfully. “You’re right. Tomorrow we head for the Western Temple - it’d be good to go over the plan,” he agreed, pulling his chair closer to the table where maps and travel notes were still laid out.Lily, relieved the conversation had turned serious again, sat across from him and unrolled the map. Her fingers traced the route they’d discussed earlier, pointing out resting spots and possible dangers.“We’ll leave early in the morning,” she began, pointing at a nearby forest section on the map, “and head through the woods to the first hill. By midday, we should reach the river - there’s a nice spot there to rest.”Ken nodded, listening closely. “And what’s waiting for us beyond the river?” he asked, leaning over the map.Lily paused her finger on a section further along the route, frowning slightly. “After the river, the road follows along the cliffs. There are often landslides in that area, so we’ll need to be careful. If everything goes as planned, by evening we’ll reach the lower valley. We can spend the night there and continue on to the Western Temple in the morning.”Ken, satisfied with the plan, relaxed a bit. “Sounds great. I think I’ll be fine as long as I have an experienced guide like you,” he said with a grin.Lily rolled her eyes, but her expression softened. “I’m not a warrior for nothing, you know. Though with you, Ken, it sometimes feels like I’m more of a babysitter than a guide,” she smirked, her voice tinged with gentle irony.Ken laughed. “Lily, if you’re going to babysit me, I won’t complain,” he replied, catching her blushing cheeks. “But in the end, who’s going to wake me up in the morning?”Lily sighed again, but her face now held a soft smile. “I’ll wake you up, Ken, like I’m supposed to.”